We need to emphasize the ability to make reservations in our advertising for the next while, so we can better plan for our traffic levels.
On Saturday night, we were not much busier than we normally used to be on a decent Saturday at the old restaurant. However, a lot of people showed up almost at the same time, earlier than normal, because of the musical at the University. We didn't have very many reservations in advance, so we didn't get a very good sense of the rush that we were about to get. Anyway, for the amount of sales that we did, it would have been pretty easy for the two cooks if it was spread out over two to three hours, but since it all happened in not much more than an hour, they were quite overwhelmed.
In terms of seats, our dining room is not a lot larger now than it was at the old restaurant. Right now, excluding the sofas, our main lower dining room and coffee lounge have a total of 43 table seats, compared to 34 at the old restaurant. I'm not counting the semi-private Rickard's Dining Room (the raised area) because we only open that for reservations most nights, so we bring extra staff in accordingly. Since we don't have many more seats than at the old restaurant, and since we seem to be getting quite a bit busier, I have a feeling that people will naturally start making more reservations, to guarantee better seats when they come in to dine.
If you'd like to make a reservation, our number is 506-536-0409. We make reservations for everywhere from 20 minutes to two months in advance. The only restriction is that to reserve the Rickard's Room, we need 24 hours advance notice.
